March, 19 2 3 
79 
COMMUNITY GARDENS 
By Pooling Garden Space a Group o f Property Owners in 
Town Can Create a Large and Interesting Garden Area 
MARY WHITTON 
A COMMUNITY garden should be 
everything the name implies—a gar¬ 
den shared by many. It may be an 
entire block, where two rows of buildings 
and their backyards back up against one 
another, as in New York and in London, 
in fact, any city of the world. We quote 
these two cities as examples, because New 
York is furthering this movement and en¬ 
couraging it, and London because it took 
up this question many years 
before America seemed to 
think it vitally important. 
Such community block 
gardens are logical out¬ 
growths of the remodeling 
of town houses. A syndi¬ 
cate or group of private 
owners gain possession of a 
city block, remodel the 
houses and pool their gar¬ 
den interests by removing 
all back fences, making an 
open area that can be en¬ 
joyed by all and in which 
the children can play in 
safety far from the dangers of street traffic. 
Or it may be that two or three property 
owners buying and remodeling houses in a 
group may make a small community garden 
by the same process. Each of these devel¬ 
opments brings up a number of problems 
in treatment and offers a fascinating variety 
of solutions. 
The first problem is one of varying levels, 
where the land on one side of the block is 
higher than that on the other. In the 
Turtle Bay development in New York 
City shown in House & Garden, January, 
1921, there was quite a difference in levels, 
but this only aided the architects, Lawrence 
Bottomley and Clarence Dean, in the crea¬ 
tion of an interesting and unusual Italian 
treatment. In fact, varying levels often lead 
to a more picturesque solution of the prob¬ 
lem, than if the level was the same. It also 
affords the individual prop¬ 
erty owner an opportunity 
to make his entrance to the 
garden in a manner differ¬ 
ent from his neighbor. 
Again, there is the irregu¬ 
lar space to be considered, 
composed of only two or 
three gardens, embracing a 
community idea. In some 
instances only two lots or 
backyards are combined. 
An example of a double 
garden is found in those of 
Mrs. H. H. Duryea and 
(Continued on page 92) 
Quite a formal treatment 
of steps and balcony are 
given the rear of Mrs. 
Lorillard Camman’s house, 
in Sutton Place. A low 
iron fence closes in the 
terrace 
In Garing Court, London, 
the rear of the houses have 
been developed into gar¬ 
den rooms and garden 
roof terraces. Shrubbery 
is planted around the 
court 
